Carla-Ann Brown | Teacher of the Year 2022
May 7, 2021Innovative, highly engaged, excellence in teaching and research, and a student-centered approach to teaching are, in a nutshell, the reasons Carla-Ann Brown is P.K. Yonge’s 2022 District Teacher of the Year.
In her 8th year of teaching, Carla-Ann is described as “a force” in her department and on our campus. While encouraging colleagues along the path to culturally-sustaining teaching practices and helping tighten the lens on equity on campus, Carla-Ann designs units of study for her 6th grade World Cultures students that include various learning styles, provide space for student voice, and encourage students to explore complex questions, engage in reflection, and apply new knowledge and skills.
Carla-Ann’s passion for world cultures and opening students’ eyes to the richness and complexity of the human experience throughout the world and throughout history leads students through a valuable experience of academic content, and encourages the development of empathy and sensitivity for a wide variety of human experiences. At times, addressing the human experience through the lens of racial and cultural equity can be challenging but Carla-Ann is eager to address difficult questions and support students as they develop essential skills to become critical consumers of information and grow empathy for experiences of the world other than their own.
From Carla-Ann’s perspective, the practice of teaching and learning is a continuous cycle of change and evolution. She is extremely reflective on her own practice as a teacher, and is committed to challenging herself to grow as a scholar and leader in the school community. In addition to her role as our 6th grade World Cultures teacher, Carla-Ann is engaged in doctoral studies investigating issues of cultural and racial equity in schools and engages in teacher inquiry research projects that have significance beyond the confines of her own classroom. This year, Carla-Ann was also the recipient of the Dennison Teacher Research Outstanding Manuscript Award. As Carla-Ann’s knowledge grows in her doctoral studies and research, so does the positive impact she has on our campus.
Service to our school is clearly an important aspect in how Carla-Ann sees herself as a member of the P.K. Yonge community. She currently serves as the chair of the P.K. Yonge Racial Equity Council, is a member of the School Advisory Council, the UFF-PKY leadership team, and serves on the UFF COVID Special Task Force. She has been instrumental in our work with the River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding as our faculty explores issues of equity as part of our collective effort to become a community free of bias and discrimination.
Ms. Brown often finds herself telling students that there is “power and value in your voice.” She definitely leads by example and uses the power of her voice to bring enormous value to our school.
Back to News >